About

Festival of the Fires 2010

History was made on Saturday May 1st as one of the world’s oldest recorded festivals is rekindled at the Hill of Uisneach in Co. Westmeath and at over two dozen sites nationwide.

Originally known as Bealtaine, the summertime festival was an important fixture on the worldwide calendar, attracting attendees from the four corners of the ancient world. Having not being officially celebrated in hundreds of years the festival is to return, rising from the ashes of the Bealtaine name as Festival of the Fires. It promises to be an event unlike anything ever witnessed in modern times – an iconic national celebration to truly ignite the summer.

Created through the alchemy of ceremony, heritage, music, theatre, literature, arts, crafts, poetry, holistic health and sustainability Festival of the Fires will feature the collective talents of hundreds of participants drawn from all over Ireland and the world, gathering at the exact centre-point of Ireland to celebrate the onset of summer.

One of the ceremonial highlights of the festival will be the lighting of a national fire, ignited first on the summit of Uisneach and then carried to hilltops in every one of Ireland’s 32 counties. In ancient times, this sacred Uisneach fire was the catalyst for coast-to-coast celebrations with festivals and gatherings taking place in the fire sites, and in the communities below.

This is to be sparked off again over the May Bank Holiday and to date, over 20 hills in 17 counties nationwide are to come ablaze on May 1st.

The Uisneach Bealtaine celebration was always the main event and that’s the case again this year. Artefacts found on Uisneach, as well as references and mentions to it in ancient texts, confirms it was attended by clans and nations from all over the world and reflecting this, a global invitation has been sent out and dozens of nations and the Irish Diaspora abroad are to be represented this year.

Festival of the Fires is a ceremonial and cultural experience aimed at enriching the mind and increasing the knowledge and appreciation of our history and our sacred sites. The lighting of the fires will be at the heart of the rekindled festival, but the body and soul of it will be a widespread array of cultural, artistic and historic events and entertainment taking place.

The main musical attractions on Uisneach include the multi-award winning Irish traditional act Kíla, whose mesmerising live show is perfectly suited to the dazzling fireshow taking place around them. Also performing will be Sharon Shannon and Her Big Band with special guests Mundy and Jerry Fish. Leading lights from the ranks of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí­ Éireann will also be providing some musical magic on the hillside as well as dozens of other trad, folk and rock acts. Several special guests are to be announced in the coming weeks…

Uisneach will also come alive with artists and craftspeople all exhibiting their craft and showcasing their skills. It will be a unique opportunity to see artists-in-action, and with the hill dotted with artworks and one-off pieces there will be plenty of strolling surprises for festival goers. A market village on the shores of Lough Lugh, the hillside lake close to Uisneach’s summit, will feature locally produced food and drink and plenty more besides. A holistic area will feature some of the nation’s top healers and holistic health experts. There will also be spaces for poetry, theatre and further musical entertainment.

Historical tours of the hill will also form a major part of the festival, and several leading Irish historians and figures from the worlds of heritage and the arts will be on the hill to lead festival goers on informative and thought-provoking tours. At the festival gate, each festival goer will partake in a brief lecture ensuring every festival goer is made aware of the significance of the site.

Uisneach, the exact centre point and one of the most historic and sacred sites in the Western world, is a truly unique festival site. The true seat of the High Kings of Ireland, it is an expanse which incorporates some 40 ancient ruins, walkways and souterrans as well as the world famous Catstone – the birth and resting place of the Goddess Eriu, after whom the island is named. It is also the point where the Four Provinces meet.

As well as creating a memorable cultural event, one of the main goals of the festival is to achieve a greater understanding and appreciation of local history, heritage, mythology, arts and culture. Even when the embers of the May Bank Holiday are beginning to cool, the organisers of the festival will continue to support this and connect people to their environment, both spiritually and geographically. Throughout the year there will be historical walks and other cultural events tied in with the themes of Festival of the Fires. As the festival grows nationwide, Festival of the Fires will give rural tourism a significant year-round boost.

The festival is utilising the expertise of some of the most experienced event organisers – people who have worked extensively on festivals such as Glastonbury, Electric Picnic, Galway Arts Festival, Hay Literature Festival, Leviathan/Mindfield and Burning Man in California.

Festival of the Fires is supported by Failte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Ordinance Survey Ireland, the Dept. of Arts, Sport and Tourism, the Dept. of the Environment and An Taoiseach’s office and assisted by Westmeath Tourism, Leader, Westmeath County Enterprise Board, Westmeath County Council as well as local Historical and Heritage societies.

Tickets are on sale now, priced €30 (inc Booking Fee) from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide and from www.ticketmaster.ie.

Tickets are also on sale from selected shops, arts spaces and venues throughout the midlands including E2 Music in Mullingar and Navan; Days Bazaar Bookstore, Mullingar; and The Stables music venue, Mullingar.

Further ticket outlets in the midlands include: Uisneach Inn, Killare; Beech Tree, Streamstown; Drakes, Castletown-Geoghegan; Claffeys, Castletown-Geoghegan; Gunnings, Rathconrath; Ryans, Horsleap; Egans, Moate; Auld Sheebeen, Moate; Foxes, Loughnavalley, Foxes, Balinea, Foxes Greengrocers, Mullingar; Cunninghams, Ballymore; Country Inn, Dysart; The Covert, Ballinafid; and more locations TBA.

Please email info@festivalofthefires.ie, info@grouselodge.com or call 09064 36175 for more info.